How to Be Charitable

Charity can be the action of gift-giving or an internal virtue of love. Charitable people often bear the burdens of others by serving at food banks and soup kitchens. They show forgiveness by sending out yet another invitation or being the first to pick up the phone. Charitable people seek peace and honestly want to help those who are less fortunate. They encourage the weak and do not find fault. A good charitable organization gives from the heart, they give freely and have a generous spirit towards others in general. Charitable people always get back far more than they give.

Everyone wants to be a charitable person, but many may not know how to go about giving in a reasonable way. A young man asked us the other day why he had been turned down to volunteer at several places when so many charities are asking for help. Since even those who are convicted of crimes sometimes serve out their sentences doing "community service" for various organizations, a background check may not have been the issue here. Commitment and desire were. Someone looking to serve or donate needs to understand the organizational structure and main purpose of the nonprofit. Some places require transportation, a certain number of hours, a humble and gentle attitude with others, or even the ability to withstand the cold and bell-ringing skills.

In order to be a wise giver of time or money, altruistic people need to focus on what issues or causes most deserve their actions and income. Rich people who are always solicited for money understand that one person cannot give to everyone who asks and they want their efforts to go where the ultimate outcome will do the most good. Most folks have just a limited amount to give, so it would be imperative that choices need to be made. Like the old woman in the Bible who gave only two copper coins, giving can go a long way to serve a purpose even if the gift is used as an object lesson to those who are less charitable. Start by sending something to the charity and see how receptive and thankful they are. The best ones I have found usually give out more than they ever get in the way of booklets, self-addressed mailing labels, calendars and other promotional gifts. The best charities rely on volunteers and have little overhead.

Everyone has received donation solicitations by phone. The best way to avoid fraudulent activity is to ask the charity to mail you further information. This way you will can see if the charity is organized, honest about their phone number and address, and willing to expend their time and money to get yours. If they have an office or place of business, tell them you would prefer to mail in your donation or get a receipt in person at their place of business.

When looking over materials sent by mail, be cautious about anyone who requires some kind of a minimum donation or who prefers credit or electronic bank transfers. A good charity would be willing to take whatever, whenever and however to serve their greater cause, their purpose and fulfill their mission statement which should be very clear and understandable. Just because someone is peddling on the sidewalk or comes to your door does not make their cause more legitimate. You certainly do not want your gift spent on other than the intended purpose and certainly not mainly on administrative costs. You can check out nonprofit tax exempt charities' past history online through your local state and city overseers.

Not all monies donated need to be upfront. You can bequeath a portion of your estate or royalties or other legacies to charity. Most large charitable organizations can help you arrange this and many college alumni offices can also provide this kind of information if you are interested in an endowment. You can even donate old cars and stock certificates to charitable causes.